


High School Bingo - On the Cusp of Becoming

by Gedry



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Friends to Lovers, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, M/M, Responsible Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 09:39:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 14,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13211049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gedry/pseuds/Gedry
Summary: Dean Winchester is trying to keep his head down, save his money, bide his time.  But the new teacher brings a new student in tow and Castiel might be interesting enough for Dean to alter his plans.





	1. New Teacher

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. New Teacher  
> 2\. Reputations  
> 3\. Class Home Ec  
> 4\. Exchange student  
> 5\. Field trip  
> 6\. Class p.e.  
> 7\. Party  
> 8\. Best Friends  
> 9\. Injury illness  
> 10\. Birthday  
> 11\. class foreign language  
> 12\. Winter break  
> 13\. rumors  
> 14\. Locker room  
> 15\. detention  
> 16\. embarrassing situation  
> 17\. geeks/nerds  
> 18\. Group date  
> 19\. Student/Teacher Detention  
> 20\. cutting class  
> 21\. teenage parent  
> 22\. party games  
> 23\. Class Sex education/Health  
> 24\. Wild Card – Applying for colleges  
> 25\. Valedictorian

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 1

“GET UP DEAN!” Sam shouts from the other side of the bed room door. 

Dean Winchester groans as he blinks his eyes open to yet another morning of his less than stellar life. “Jesus Sammy,” he mutters. “It’s six thirty in the morning.”

“It’s the first day of school Dean,” Sam answers like this is something monumental and important. 

“Whoopty- fuckin- do,” Dean moans as he tries to roll over and go back to sleep. 

He’s not prepared for the freezing, wet wash cloth that Sam slaps over his bare back. As Dean is screaming Sam says “It’s my first day of high school Dean and you’re damn well going to drive me to school and make sure no one kills me. I’m not taking no for an answer and you haven’t dropped out yet so you’re screwed.”

“Jesus, fuck!” Dean snaps but he’s getting up and dragging himself to the bathroom to get ready.

“There’s toast in kitchen,” Sam offers and he ignores it that Dean slaps him on the back of his head as he goes by.

*****

School’s the same as it ever was. It’s the same boring ass kids that are smart enough to make wide birth around Dean and now Sam while they wander the halls. Dean’s worked hard to earn his reputation; he’s bought his distance from those around him with blood and pounding fists. He hopes it’s enough to keep the pack of rowdy assholes off his little brother. Sam’s going somewhere; he has a life ahead of him where he can make something of himself. 

Dean’s going to drop out of school as soon as he’s old enough to do it and then he’s going to spend the rest of his life earning the reputation that his less than stellar father says that he has. 

It’s not that Dean goes looking for trouble. It’s just that trouble is REALLY good at finding Dean. 

First period leads into second and he’s still not fucking sure why he’s going to class at all. Then he wanders into third period, he thinks maybe it’s history, and finds someone sitting in his usual seat next to the window. The guy’s thin and pale, dark hair and too blue to be real eyes. He doesn’t seem like he fits in anywhere even though his clothes don’t immediately direct Dean to any social group. It’s the weird over sized trench coat the guy has tugged low and tight on his shoulders that makes Dean wonder what his deal is. 

“You’re in my seat,” Dean mutters as he gets closer and usually that alone is enough to have people stumbling over their feet to get out of his way. 

“Pick another,” the guy answers without even turning away from the window. 

“What?” Dean asks; shocked at the guys attitude. 

“Pick another,” he spits “Are you deaf?”

“Look you son of a bitch,” Dean starts only to be interrupted by the presence of the teacher entering the room. 

“Good morning boys and girls,” he says loudly “My names Gabriel Novak and I’m the new teacher here. It’s my first day so be gentle.”

There’s laugher from the surrounding students and Dean’s still standing next the where this asshole guy is occupying his seat. 

“Castiel,” the new teacher barks suddenly as he turns to the blackboard “You’re not going to sulk in here all day. Go to class.”

Dean is stunned when the trench coat wearing guy of mystery snorts loudly before getting up out of the chair and goes to leave the room. He bumps into Dean’s shoulder as he goes by but he doesn’t say anything. 

Dean’s tempted to follow him out but something in the way the teacher watches him leave makes Dean want to find out more information. So he sits and for the first time in probably a year and half he pays attention.


	2. Reputations

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 2

“So who’s your friend?” Gabriel presses as he drives them home that afternoon. 

Castiel stares out the window as the world passes them by; it’s a feeling he’s used to having. “I don’t know who he is.”

“Making friends already I see,” Gabriel tries for humor; he forgets how much Castiel hates that.

“You’re not mom Gabriel,” the younger man snaps as he turns to face his brother. “I get that mom and dad dumped me on you, because they think I’m some kind of fucking delinquent who doesn’t want to tow the family religious line, but you’re not my parent.”

“I know I’m not your parent damn it,” Gabriel raises his voice; he can’t seem to help it when it’s just the two of them. “But I’m all the family you have here, and we had to freaking move because of all the trouble you started, so if you could just let me in on what the hell happened between you and the parents that would be great. I don’t like being kept in the dark.” 

“I’m not talking about it,” Castiel comments. “You want to know ask our parents. The only reason I’m here and not some freaking religious lock down campus is, because they thought you had a rough patch too, and they seem to think you turned out alright. Maybe they think you’ll turn me back to the light or something.”

“Jesus,” Gabriel mutters. “Our parents are nuts.”

At the wide eyed look his brother sends him Gabriel shrugs. “Look kiddo, you’re the baby of the family, and there are a lot of years between us so you just don’t know, but trust me I never grew out of my rough patch…I just learned how to lie.”

“I’m not going to lie about who I am,” Castiel growls. 

“Then your going to be living with me for a long time,” Gabriel replies as he turns the car into the driveway of their new tiny house. “Mom and dad aren’t willing to accept anything less than total obedience.”

“I’m not good at obedience,” Castiel sighs. 

“Neither am I,” Gabriel chuckles. “Neither am I.”

*****

“So who is he?” Dean asks as he settles in for lunch the next day. 

Jo gives him a sharp look before she pushes her pizza to the side, and points at the hunched over figure pressed up against the far wall of the cafeteria. “That,” she whispers, “is Castiel Novak. He’s the new history teacher’s younger brother. They moved here over the summer from Utah. They come from a really big family, but no one knows why Castiel is living with Mr. Novak. He doesn’t really talk to anyone and he’s not friendly at all. Seriously Dean, he makes you look like little miss sunshine.”

Dean shoves her playfully; he and Jo have been friends since they were little kids. She’s younger than he is, but makes up the space between his age and Sam’s age. “So sort of tall, dark, and moody over there isn’t really friendly with anyone?”

“The only person he’s spoken to at all since he showed up here is you,” she answers. 

“Yeah,” Dean snorts. “That went real well.”

“Why do you care?” Jo asks. “You’re not staying, few more months and your done here; you’ve always been clear on that.”

“I don’t know,” Dan sighs. He could lie to her, but Jo knows him better than anyone save for his brother. “Something about him; I want to see what’s hiding under all of that.”

“You should be careful,” Jo teases “You’re going to ruin your ‘I don’t give a shit’ reputation.”

“Since when have I ever given a shit about what people think?” Dean answers with a grin.


	3. Class Home Ec

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 3

“This seat taken?” Dean asks as he rolls into his last elective. 

“Are you kidding me?” Castiel Novak growls. “Wasn’t one fuck off good enough for you?”

“I’m dense,” Dean replies, as he slides into the seat next to his less than willing work partner. “Sometimes I just keep banging my head against the wall until the wall falls down.”

“You don’t have the kind of time it would take,” Castiel warns, but to Dean’s surprise he moves over and makes some room. 

“Good afternoon class,” Mrs. Mosley announces. “Today we’re going to start with baking.”

There’s a collective groan from the male students which makes Dean chuckle. He over hears Castiel mutter “son of a bitch.”

“You should stick with me,” he whispers as the rest of the guys in the room frantically start pairing up with the girls. “I’ve been cooking since I was five.”

“I fail to see how your being able to boil water in the microwave will help me here,” Castiel says. 

Dean shoots him a dirty look before he answers, “Look dude you can hate everything and everyone if you want to, but I’m only going to be coming to this hell hole for the next four months and six days. Then I’m out of here and onto other things. I’m just trying to have a little fun while I wait to be eighteen, and you seem like you have enough of the ‘I don’t give a fucks’ to be good for a few laughs. I’m just trying to be friendly. I admit, I’m not good at it, but this is the best I got.”

They stare at each other for a minute before Castiel seems to soften inside his coat and he sighs, “Alright then, what’s your name?” 

“Dean Winchester.”

He actually holds out his hand like they’re at some kind of formal function, and Dean grins as they shake. The guy has soft hands, long fingers, bitten off nails. He watches Dean with a guarded but interested expression, and it’s enough to make Dean’s heart beat a little faster. He ignores it. Castiel is attractive and Dean’s not used to denying himself anything, but the guy’s related to a teacher and Dean knows trouble when he sees it. 

“So,” Castiel comments as Mrs. Mosley starts passing out assignments. “Regale me of your cooking prowess, and be warned that I turn Hot Pockets into chunks of smoldering ash.”

It turns out the assignment is pie and Dean’s relieved. Pie he can do no problem. Dean loves pie more than anything other than his brother. Anything more complicated, and he would have had to tell Castiel that his assessment of Dean’s ability to boil water in a microwave was close to the truth. 

When they’re cleaning up Castiel grins; Dean thinks maybe it’s a good look on the guy. “How much of that ‘I can cook’ speech was bullshit?”

“Most of it,” Dean admits with a grin. 

“I thought so,” Castiel comments. “So you’re saying when we spend time together I should be prepared to eat out.”

“Are we hanging out now?” Dean questions with a lift of his eyebrow.

“No,” Castiel answers. “No I’m going to Chemistry, and you’re going off to whatever you do right now. But after school I’ll meet you at your car.”

Dean doesn’t bother to say anything. Castiel’s already gone and down the hall before he can even get his mouth shut.


	4. Exchange Student

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 4

“Sammy who the hell were you eating lunch with today?” Dean asks as he drops off his stuff from work by the front door and goes in to change his clothes. 

“His name’s Ash,” Sam answers with a shrug. 

“He’s weird,” Dean comments as he digs some clean socks out of his top drawer.

“He’s Scandinavian,” Sam sighs as he rolls his eyes even though Dean can’t see him.

“Isn’t that some kind of STD?” Dean teases, just to see what kind of reaction he might get. 

“DEAN!” Sam explodes from the living room and stalks around the corner into the bedroom to face off with him. “You’re being an ass. Ash is a nice guy and I got partnered up with him in Biology. I like him. He knows all kinds of stuff that no one in this fucked up little piece of shit town knows. Besides; it’s not like you have room to talk about who I’m hanging out with. Your new buddy is weirder than hell!”

“You leave Cas out of this,” Dean orders and he’s a little shocked at the white hot anger he feels in his chest. 

“Oh,” Sam smirks. “He’s Cas now? You gave him a nick name? You must really like him a whole lot.”

“Damn it Sam,” Dean snarls with a pointed finger. “It doesn’t mean anything. He and I are just friends, and we’re not even really good friends or anything; we’ve only hung out a few times.”

“Right,” Sam answers with a nod and raised eyebrow. “Keep telling yourself that.”

“Shut up!” Dean shouts before he turns to storm off to the bathroom for a shower. “You keep talking like that and someone’s going to start thinking I’m trying to get into his pants or something.”

“Aren’t you?” Sam asks. 

Dean freezes before slamming the door in his brother’s face. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean you like him. I see the way you look at him,” Sam says with a shrug. “What’s the big deal? It’s not like he’s the first guy you ever hooked up with. You’re quiet about it but the house is tiny Dean and the walls are thin. Did you think I didn’t know?”

“You never said anything,” Dean mutters. “You didn’t tell dad did you?”

Their father is a hard worker. But he’s never home; never there to raise them or watch them. Dean’s always done that for Sam. He’s been the mother Sam never got to know. “Yeah right Dean,” Sam says with a shake of his head. “Because I want dad to throw you out, so I get picked up by social services for living here alone and unsupervised, and then have to finish high school living in foster care again.”

Dean sighs as a huge weight lifts off his chest. “You really don’t care?”

“Look man,” Sam chuckles. “What you do is your business. I’m going out with Ash to the movies tonight. All I ask is that if you bring your new fling home for wild sex you keep the noise down.”

Dean slams the bathroom door shut with a grin on his face; but while he’s in the shower he mutters to himself, “Cas isn’t a fling.”


	5. Field Trip

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 5

“Tell me again why we’re touring a farm?” Cas mutters from just to Dean’s left. He can’t help but chuckle at how disgusted his friend sounds.

“You’re asking me like I pay attention in class,” Dean answers, and then actually smiles when Cas shoots him a look that says he’s fed up with Dean’s bull shit. 

“Yes,” the he murmurs. “I forgot; the almighty countdown to freedom. How’s it going?”

“Three months, two weeks, and five days,” Dean sighs “And I’m feeling every second of it.”

Cas snorts as he wanders ahead. 

Dean trails behind him. He and Cas have some kind of understanding. Dean’s not really sure that he can even call it a friendship, because the guy is so tight lipped and distant it’s like he’s not really connected to anything. Still, he’s fascinating; and Dean’s tired of being bored all the time, so he treats Cas like a puzzle he’s trying to work out. 

He’s still not really clear why Cas keeps hanging out with him though. There’s nothing interesting at all about Dean. 

“I dislike animals,” Cas mutters as they pick their way carefully through the field where the farm workers had been teaching them about the care and feeding of the cattle. 

“Yeah.” Dean comments, “You don’t really strike me as a country mouse.”

“Yes,” Cas answers dryly, “Because you’re not a city mouse with your spiked hair and combat boots.”

“This isn’t about me,” Dean announces. But he laughs as he other guy gives him the finger and keeps going forward. 

They struggle through the chicken coop and past the vegetables before they finally just refuse to go anywhere near the pigs and decide to wait on the bus. 

It still stinks but it’s better than the other option.

“How’s living with your brother going?” Dean asks once they’re in private. 

Cas shrugs. “It’s fine. He’s a good guy. I guess I’m not easy to live with.”

“What gives you that idea?” Dean chuckles but he puts his hands up in the air when Cas glares at him. “Look man,” Dean adds carefully. “You’re just not that easy to get to know. I’ve been trying to figure you out but you don’t give a whole lot away you know? Why so tight lipped?”

“I don’t trust people.” Cas answers bluntly.

“Really? I couldn’t tell,” Dean sighs. “I’m not people you know. I’ve got secrets too. I’m just trying to be your friend.”

“Friends?” Cas snorts. “My last friend ratted me out to my parents, got me kicked out of my home, and then publicly embarrassed me in front of my whole school and my church. I never get to go home again Dean. So excuse me if I’m a little less than open about the whole friend concept right now. You’re cool and it’s not that I don’t like you. But I’m not getting close to anyone; not now and maybe not for a long ass time. So you might want to go find someone else to hang out with if you need me to give you more than I am.”

Dean meets his gaze for a long strained moment before he sits back in his seat and tugs on the laces on his boots. “I’m good man. There’s no one else here I want to know anyway.”


	6. Class PE

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 6

“I hate running,” Sam groans as they head out to the track. Thursdays are the bane of his existence now that he rotates health education with p.e. every other week. Either way he’s bored, and now occasionally sweaty. 

“It’s not so bad,” Max offers as he comes to stand at Sam’s side. “Could be worse; it could be volleyball day. I’d rather run track than have to duck and cover while people slammed giant balls into my head.”

“Yes,” Sam chuckles, “ducking the giant balls is a must.”

“Oh shut up!” Max laughs, “You are so gross Sam.”

He and Max have been friends for a long time. Sam thinks they met one day at lunch in middle school. He’s not exactly sure when they started to get close, but Max is the only person outside of the family that knows the truth about Sam and Dean’s dad. The fact that John Winchester isn’t in town for much of their lives is something they keep really quiet. Sam and Dean have been taken away and placed in foster care once before when a nosy neighbor thought they were actually helping. 

It hadn’t been a good experience for either of them. But with Dean being just a few months away from eighteen things are going to change. Sam won’t have to worry about someone busting into his room in the middle of the night and dragging him off again. Even if their dad never comes back Dean will be able to legally claim him. 

“Are you going to the big blow out Andy is having this weekend?” Max asks as they make their second turn around the track. He’s getting winded already but Sam’s learned how to pace himself. 

“Andy’s having a party?” Sam sputters. “How did he convince his parents to let him do that?”

“He didn’t” Max snorts and then coughs before reaching for his inhaler. “They’re going out of town and he got them to leave him home alone by telling them he was going to spend the whole weekend looking for a summer internship.”

“It’s not even spring yet,” Sam says with a shake of his head. 

“Yeah well,” Max shrugs, “you know how Andy’s parents are. Everything has to get done early or you’re late even if you turn it in on time.”

“It’s a sickness,” Sam mutters. 

“So says the guy who’s already picking up college applications and looking into student loans when he’s a freshman in high school,” Max accuses before tripping Sam and running by him as he stumbles. 

“JERK!” Sam shouts as he gets himself back under control and then races his friend to the next turn. 

*****

“Can I bring Ash?” Sam asks Andy as he slides in next to him at the table over lunch.

“To what?” Andy says with an innocent look on his face.

“To the party jackass,” Sam blurts and then watches as his friend’s eyes get bigger and he starts to grip the corner of the table.

“Who told you about that?” Andy whispers. 

“Max,” Sam answers with a shrug. “He said your parents were going out of town and you were having a huge blow out at your house this weekend.”

“Jesus, SHIT!” Andy exclaims. “It was just supposed to be a few of us guys getting together to watch movies. Not some kind of gigantic throw down. How many people did he tell?”

“I have no idea,” Sam stammers. “But knowing Max it might be half the school. You know he can’t keep his mouth shut, why did you tell him anything in the first place?”

“I figured he would invite you and that was it. Max doesn’t even hang out with the rest of the people at this school. Who the hell was he going to tell?” Andy spits out with his hands waving. 

Sam just raises an eyebrow in response. This is going to get ugly.


	7. Party

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 7

The music’s been blaring at Andy’s house for over an hour. Dean sighs as he leans back against the hood of his car and stares at the sky. Sam had asked him to keep an eye out, not sure if his friend Max’s mouth had invited half of the school or not. He didn’t want any trouble and Sam figured Dean and his reputation was the next best thing to paid security. 

His little brother didn’t ask for much so Dean wasn’t inclined to say no. He just hadn’t quite figured out why he wasn’t alone out here. 

“This is your idea of fun times?” Cas mutters as he stiffly reclines on the hood in much the same manner as Dean.

“I never advertised this as fun,” Dean sighs. “In fact I think I made it clear that it was going to be boring as hell and possibly pointless, but you still insisted on coming with.”

“I’m mentally ill,” Cas shrugs. “You know that.”

“No actually,” Dean says with some bite in his tone. He’s frustrated by his friend’s lack of sharing. They’ve been spending more and more time together, but Dean’s been getting the feeling that he’s some kind of science experiment for the other guy. “I don’t know that. I don’t know anything about you. You never tell me anything.”

“We’ve been over this.” Cas sighs, “I don’t trust people.”

“You are full of shit.” Dean announces as he turns to face the other young man. “You say all this mysterious shit about how you’ve been hurt before, and someone ruined your life for you, and now you just can’t trust people. But you hang around me all the time; even tonight when you know I’m jut going to be sitting on the hood of my car at some stupid freshman party. You don’t want to be alone Cas; you want a friend. You want to be around me. It doesn’t have to be a great big damn deal. You can just let me in a little and let me be your friend and it would still be okay.”

“You don’t know me.” Cas warns, “Don’t talk to me like you do.”

“Shut up Cas,” Dean snaps. “You aren’t the only one to have secrets or to have a fucked up life that you’re ashamed of. You don’t know me or my life either.”

“What’s so bad about your life Dean?” Cas spits through clenched teeth with fisted hands. 

Dean pushes himself back into a sitting position as he answers with: “My mom died when Sam was born. My dad travels all the time for work. He always has. He’s gone more than he’s here and I’ve had to raise myself and my brother. When he’s not around I work my ass off so we have money, enough to eat, and when he is here then I get my ass chewed for not taking better care of things. We got removed by social services once because they thought he was an unfit parent, and I hate to say this but it was the best six months of my whole fucking life, and then they sent me back to him. I live in fear of it happening again before I’m old enough to be counted as an adult. Sam’s all I got; he’s smart. He’s going to make something of himself and I’ll do anything to make that happen; even if it means dropping out so I can get a full time job. My grades are fucked anyway; it’s not like it would matter.”

Cas is silent for a long time after Dean finished speaking. 

Dean finally growls out, “So what’s so fucking bad about your life Cas? What makes you so bad that your family ditched you on your brother?”

Dean watches as his friend swallows and turns away to look at the moon before answering with: “I’m gay.”


	8. Best Friends

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 8

It takes Cas a week to crack.

Dean hadn’t given him any kind of reaction to his outpouring of honesty. There had just been a shrug from this guy that Cas suspects is now the closest thing to a best friend that he has; and then a fight had broken out inside the freshman party they were sort of monitoring and Dean had gone off to break the guys up. 

It had gone successfully, but he’d gotten hit on the forehead with a bottle; and Cas had spent the rest of the night trying to explain why he had basically committed insurance fraud by taking Dean to the emergency room and letting him use Cas’ insurance card and his identity. 

Gabriel had been hostile but accepting when Cas had explained Dean’s family situation as well as the need to keep it quiet for a few more months. Gabriel had agreed to stay silent but only after Castiel had promised to tell the two Winchester boys that they were welcome at Gabriel’s house if they ever needed help or got into trouble. 

Cas had been shocked by his brother’s offer and Dean was dumbfounded. 

“Why would he do that?” Dean asks. 

“Because you’re my friend,” Cas answers. “Because you’re like my best friend I guess, and he’s my brother so he wants to help you if you need help.”

“Dude,” Dean blurts with wide eyes. “Is that what we are? Best friends?” 

“What?” Cas snaps, suddenly defensive. “You have problem being my friend now that you know I’m gay? What was all that shit before? What happened to ‘you can trust me Cas,’ ‘tell me how you feel Cas?”

Dean chuckles and waves his hands before shaking his head and saying, “I just mean I always kind of get the feeling that I annoy the shit out of you. It just surprised me that’s all.”

“Oh.’ Cas mutters, groaning internally at his outburst. There’s something about Dean Winchester that gets up under his walls and pokes at all his hot spots. 

“That and I’ve never really had a best friend or anything like that,” Dean offers hesitantly and Cas knows an olive branch when he sees it. 

“Better late than never?” He says with a shaky attempt at a smile. 

“You’re super weird; you know that right?” Dean snorts, but he puts a hand on the back of Cas’ neck and shakes him gently while he says it; taking out some of the sting. 

“Yes,” Cas sighs with a purposefully dramatic roll of his eyes. “Because, you are the standard of normal.”

“You up for a movie?” Dean offers; trying to change the subject.

Cas turns to ask him what kind of movie he has in mind and suddenly realizes that they’re very close together. Dean is standing well inside his personal space. Cas can smell the scent of the gum Dean’s chewing and see the way his eyes dilate. The heat from Dean’s hand still on the back of his neck goes straight to his dick and Cas flushes as he gets hard. 

This is so not happening.


	9. Injury Illness

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 9

Cas wakes to the sound of his cell going off in the middle of the night. It’s Dean’s ring tone and he’s out of bed and scrambling to open the phone as fast as he can. Dean wouldn’t call this late for nothing. Something must be wrong. 

“Dean?” he gasps breathlessly.

“Cas,” Dean blurts, “I need help. We’re at the ER, Sam’s in a lot of pain and running a fever. They’re asking for signatures from an adult and I don’t count. I can’t get dad on the phone and they’re saying Sam needs surgery now. Please, can you get your brother to come down here?”

“Yes,” he answers without thinking. This is his friend and Sam is a good kid. Gabriel said he would help if he could. Cas is going to make sure his brother keeps his word. 

He’s banging on his older sibling’s door before they hang up the phone; and though Gabriel is irritated he grabs his clothes and is sliding into the car without too much begging from Cas. The only thing Gabriel says on the way to the hospital is: “Are you planning on telling Dean how much you care about him?” 

“I don’t care about anyone like that. Not now and not ever again,” Cas growls. 

Cas is still angry about what his brother said but it doesn’t stop him from nearly running to Dean’s side as soon as he sees his hunched over form in the waiting room. It’s hard not to touch Dean as he wraps his arms so completely around himself and is in such obvious distress. Cas settles for a hesitant arm slung around Dean’s shoulders as he sits down beside his friend. 

“Where’s Gabriel?” Dean stammers.

“Talking to the people in registration,” Cas answers and ignores the way his heart flutters as Dean leans into his side for support. “What’s wrong with Sam?”

“He’s been feeling weird for a day or two but nothing serious then he started saying his stomach hurt tonight and it just kept getting worse. I made him come here, and the doctor says he needs an emergency appendectomy or something; like his appendix was going to burst or something. I told them to do whatever they had to do but they needed consent forms signed and I’m not old enough. I tried calling dad but the phone’s turned off. Then they started asking about who we were staying with and I freaked. Thank you for coming down here.”

They sit in silence until Gabriel comes over a long while later. “Well,” he complains as he drops into the seat across from them. “I’ve signed my life away and committed some kind of fraud or something I’m sure. But the stuff is signed and they finally got your dad on the number you gave them. He went along with the story that I was looking out for you boys but he says he’s on his way back home in the morning. Sam’s in surgery now.”

So they wait together in silence. Gabriel shooting Cas irritated looks in between the concern filled ones he directs at Dean. Cas ignores his brother; too focused on the fact that at some point after the doctor came out to tell them Sam was going into recovery and that he would be fine, Dean had slipped out from under his arm and was now holding on tightly to his hand.


	10. Birthday

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 10

“What the fuck is this?” Cas barks as Dean pushes a giant cupcake at him from across the table. They’re supposed to be studying. He’s not even sure how Dean figured out when his birthday is. 

“You can glare at me all night,” Dean shrugs. “I’m not going to sing you the stupid song or make you blow out a candle, but still it’s your birthday and you’re my friend so I wanted to get you something.”

“So therefore I get a giant mutant cupcake?” Cas teases and is happy to see Dean laugh. 

“Yeah well,” Dean mutters, “I’m broke and it was on sale…”

“Thank you,” Cas says and he makes it a point to meet Dean’s gaze so his friend knows that he means it completely. The idea of Dean buying him something, anything, makes his chest feel tight. 

“You should make a wish,” Dean suggests as Cas is about to attack the leaning pile of frosting with his fork.

“There’re no candles to blow out.” Cas points out with no small amount of sarcasm. 

“So what?” Dean answers. “No one’s here but us. We’ll fake it.”

Cas grumbles but he closes his eyes and thinks about what he would wish for if he believed in wishes. He starts off at world peace or something kind and all encompassing like tolerance for people of different lifestyles, but in the end he hears the creak of Dean shifting in his chair across the table from him and he wishes that he could be the kind of person he wants to be around his friend. Cas wishes he hadn’t wasted his warmth and innocence on some asshole that he thought loved him. He wishes he could let Dean in and have Dean love him the way he wants to be loved and for that to be real. 

When he opens his eyes he realizes that he’s gripping the plastic fork so hard he’s twisted it. Dean’s watching him with curious eyes as he says, “What did you wish for Cas?” 

“I can’t tell you,” Cas mumbles as he flushes embarrassed by his line of thinking. “Or it won’t come true.”

“I’ve never understood the point of that,” Dean comments as he reaches out with his own fork to scoop some of the icing off the top of the cup cake. “If you want something bad enough to wish for it why not just reach out and make it happen?”

“What if what you’re wishing for involves another person?” Cas asks carefully as he works to avoid Dean’s assessing gaze. 

“The more the merrier I always say.” Dean whispers and Cas’ eyes snap back to his face in enough time to watch Dean lick frosting off his lips. 

“Sure you don’t want to tell me what you wished for?” Dean asks again and Cas feels himself get goose bumps all over at the tone of his friend’s voice. 

“Not yet,” Cas whispers and he cringes inside as Dean nods slowly and eases just a little farther away.


	11. Foreign Language

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 11

“What are you studying?” Dean mutters as he flops down on the sofa next to his friend. 

Cas takes a moment to look over as Dean leans against him. There’s been a creeping sense of belonging between them over the last few weeks. Dean’s starting to touch him more and as much as Cas wants to hate it, every touch fills him with heat and longing. “French,” he mutters before turning back to his text book and wiggling his shoulder trying to dislodge Dean’s head. 

It doesn’t work.

“Are you planning to move to France one day?” Dean asks as he elbows Cas in the ribs for trying to shove him off. 

“Maybe,” Cas answers. “Why are you asking?”

“I just don’t get why you would learn French. I thought you would be all practical and go for Spanish or some shit.” Dean shrugs. 

“Fuck you,” Cas chuckles. “You’re being an ignorant asshole you know that?”

“Yep,” Dean snorts. “That’s me. Whatever dude, I’m not going to say anything else about it. I don’t even go to my German class.”

“You don’t go to most of your classes,” Cas mutters.

“I go to the ones you’re in,” Dean responds.

“Why is that?” Cas asks as he puts the book to the side and leans back trying to get a look at Dean’s face. It has an odd effect he hadn’t counted on in that Dean’s head gets dislodged from his shoulder and ends up pillowed in Cas’ lap. 

He’s shocked when Dean doesn’t immediately jerk back up into a sitting position. Instead he shifts on the sofa to get more comfortable and grins up at Cas like a bird who ate the canary. 

“I know some French,” Dean offers with a wink. 

Cas sighs and rolls his eyes because this is going to be terrible he just knows it. “Okay, hit me with it.”

“Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir,” Dean says with a pretty decent accent. Cas thinks he probably practiced it. 

“Do you even know what that means?” He asks.

“Do you want to sleep with me tonight,” Dean answers with a nod, and Cas feels the blood rush to his face. 

“And you’re saying it to me?” Cas presses.

“Cas,” Dean says softly, “I’ve been trying to get you to give me some kind of sign about whether or not you’re interested for way too long. I want you to be more than just my friend and I’m hoping you might want that with me too.”

“I wished for you on my birthday,” Cas blurts and then flinches at his own stupidity. 

“I only go to school to spend more time with you.” Dean responds. Then he’s struggling to push himself up on his elbows on the lumpy ass couch, and Cas is reaching down and dragging him up to manhandle Dean into a better position so that Cas can finally just give into it and map out the taste and feel of Dean’s mouth. 

They end up in a weird angle, their noses bump and their teeth clank together on the second try before Dean chuckles low in his throat and Cas groans and just falls into his friend’s warmth. 

(Okay lillyg, I’m sure I massacred the French in this. Blame Google! I was thinking of you though when I wrote it and I know you love first kisses.)


	12. Winter Break

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 12

“Do I need to start charging you rent?” Gabriel huffs as he finds Dean digging through his fridge at eight in the morning. 

He has to give the kid some credit. Dean stiffens but he doesn’t run or jerk his way back out of the fridge. He just shrugs and keeps looking for whatever it is that he’s looking for in there. 

“I slept over,” Dean mutters. “Sam spent the night with his little exchange student buddy. I’m looking for something that might resemble breakfast.”

“There’s cereal in the cabinet and the milk is on the left,” Gabriel offers. 

Dean sighs before shooting him a dirty look and saying, “I was hoping for something a little more high class.”

“You’re too good for my cereal?” Gabriel asks while he’s digging out his coffee. 

“No I was just looking for something to make for Cas,” Dean mumbles while he scratches at his neck and kicks his foot into the kitchen table. “He’s looking a little thin.”

Gabriel rolls his eyes as he drops his coffee cup back onto the counter and turns his full attention to the other guy in the room. “Look.” He rumbles, “I’m not his dad or anything but he lives here and he’s my brother. What’s the deal with the two of you?”

Dean blinks and his mouth opens and shuts for a minute before he deflates and whispers, “Cas and I are complicated.”

“Complicated like rubik’s cube complicated or complicated like he’s the love of my life complicated?” Gabriel presses. 

“Ummm, I’m thinking like the second one?” Dean mutters crossing his arms and leaning backward like he thinks Gabriel’s going to hit him in the face.

“Are you guys together?” Gabriel figures, as weird as this is he’s responsible for his brother so he needs to swallow his horror and at least attempt to act like an adult. 

“Umm yeah.” Dean nods, “For a few weeks now.” 

“You using protection?” Gabriel manages to grind out through clenched teeth. He can feel himself sweating. This is like his worst nightmare. He should still be having these conversations with his dates’ parents not being the grown up here.

“Dude!” Dean exclaims. “We’re not even having sex!”

“You slept here last night,” Gabriel comments likes that is the answer to everything. 

“Yeah, and there was a lot of actual sleeping involved.” Dean starts standing up straighter as he adds, “I don’t get to see him as much with school out for the holidays.”

“If I skip over the rest of this threatening conversation will you just act like we had it?” Gabriel sighs. 

“Hurt him and I’ll kill you, no being in his room with the door shut, use condoms, wear your seatbelt, and have him home before eleven on school nights.” Dean rattles off with rolling eyes. 

“Fabulous!” Gabriel exclaims as he goes to get the paper. “Oatmeal’s in the pantry; it’ the best I got to offer you. Try the cinnamon swirl it’s like candy. Get Sam and come over for Christmas dinner if your dad is still going to be out of town.”

He leaves the kid slamming around in the kitchen, grabs the paper and heads back to his room. Gabriel needs to get a life. His kid brother’s starting to outshine him. At least Cas has good taste.


	13. Rumors

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 13

“They’re talking about you and Cas at school,” Sam mutters as Dean drives him home one afternoon. 

Cas makes some kind of noncommittal noise in the backseat while he flips through one of his text books. 

“So what?” Dean asks with a shrug. He doesn’t give a shit what the people at school say. 

“Dean,” Sam says with some urgency. “They’re talking about the two of you guys being together. You know, like gay.” 

Dean hears Cas shift behind him and wonders if his boyfriend is planning on participating in this very painful soon to be conversation. Nothing’s forthcoming so Dean sighs and clears his throat before saying, “Is that a problem?” 

“Dean!” Sam sputters, “I don’t give a shit what you’re doing with Cas. I’m just freaked out that people are talking about it. I wanted to warn you.”

It makes Dean smile while Sam waves his hands around and then flops back against the car seat huffing at Dean’s lack of response. 

“Do you even realize how big this is?” Sam erupts after a few moments of silence. “It’s like my whole world is exploding about whether or not my big brother is doing a dude and you don’t even care.” 

Cas actually snickers. It so doesn’t help. 

“You go ahead and laugh if you want.” Sam’s on a roll now. “You don’t even want to hear the things they’re saying about you Cas. It’s like they think you’re a total weirdo or something.”

“Cas is a total weirdo,” Dean snorts and then can’t help but laugh when Cas kicks the back of his seat. 

“I am not weird,” he mutters from the backseat. “I’m eccentric.”

“We’re in high school Cas,” Dean reminds his over achieving friend. “That means you’re weird.”

“Then what are you?” Cas shoots back snottily but Dean can see a hint of a grin in the review mirror. 

“I’m a soon to be drop out punk,” Dean answers and at Sam’s hiss of displeasure he adds, “Dude, I know it. It’s not like what they’re saying isn’t true.”

“They’re saying you two make the most fucked up couples list,” Sam huffs. “A low class guy from the bad side of town hooking up with the weird ass little brother of the new teacher.” 

“Sounds accurate to me,” Cas mumbles as Dean pulls into the driveway and Sam stalks out of the car.

It’s not until much later that Dean finally asks him: “Why are you so upset about this?”

Sam flops down next to him on the couch and says, “I’m not stupid Dean. I know how much you give up to keep me fed and send me to school in clothes that aren’t torn to hell. You hide it really well but I know dad doesn’t leave us enough money. I just don’t want people making up stuff about you or talking about you behind your back. It would be different if you and Cas ever even touched at school. But you don’t so for all they know it’s just a bunch of lies.”

The next morning, before the first bell Dean stalks up to Cas in the central hallway of the high school and kisses him full out on the mouth. He feels Cas grin against his lips while cat calls echo around them. When they break apart he laughs against Cas’ cheek; “Well at least now they actually have something to talk about.”


	14. Locker Room

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 14

“Your brother’s a fucking faggot, you know that Winchester,” Gordon comments as they change for gym class. 

“Sure is,” Sam answers while he tugs his shirt over his head and tosses it into the locker. Since the big kiss last week Sam’s been through the ringer with the comments from his classmates. He lets it roll off his back. No one’s really gotten brave enough to try anything with him directly with Dean still going to the school. His older brother’s reputation for brawling when required is enough to keep them at bay. 

“You a faggot too kid?” Gordon continues. “I don’t want someone who likes dick checking out my package while I’m changing.”

“Like I can see your itty bitty dick from over here,” Sam snorts while he tugs on his gym shirt. There’s a round of “Oooooooooo,” from the surrounding crowd that’s creeping closer. 

“Watch your mouth you little prick,” Gordon warns. “Your big gay brother isn’t here to protect your ass now.”

“Who says I need him to protect me?” Sam asks and he lowers his shoulders and bends his knees like Dean and his father taught him to. 

“Shut your mouth,” Gordon warns. “You don’t know who you’re fucking with.”

“I don’t?” Sam answers with a sneer. “I thought I was fucking your mother like everyone else in town.”

Sam grins as Gordon lunges forward like a raging bull. He ducks the first punch and rounds Gordon out with a punch to the stomach. Their classmates make a circle around them and Sam grabs Gordon’s hair from where he’s still doubled over and uses one of the chain locker doors to bash him in the face. The group of students is screaming as Sam notices the blood. Before anything else can happen the teachers are pouring into the tiny room and Sam is being led away by the school security officer while Gordon is being taken to the nurse. 

They ask him a bunch of questions; he gets three days suspension and a month of after school detention. They never do find out why he doesn’t get expelled. He happens to hear Gordon’s dad screaming at Mr. Novak about suing Sam’s dad for payment of the emergency room bills to pay for Gordon’s broken nose and cracked rib. Sam winces because his dad is going to be so pissed off at him for this. But Gabriel stands his ground and all Sam hears is him saying, “I wouldn’t suggest that. Your son was involved in a fight with a younger student because of harassment surrounding his and his brother sexual orientation. The media would take a certain amount of interest in this case and returning to school might be difficult for Gordon.”

“Who the hell’s going to tell the media?” Gordon’s father bellows. 

Gabriel gets this grin like he’s a Cheshire cat and answers, “I would. See that gay kid that’s Sam’s older brother is dating my younger sibling.” 

Sam can’t wait to see the look on Dean’s face when he tells his brother about that part. 

Gabriel is a total bad ass.


	15. Detention

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 15

“I tried to tell them it was a conflict of interest,” Mr. Novak announces as he breezes into the classroom after everyone else has left for the day. “No one else wanted to stay late and I’m the new guy.”

Sam raises an eyebrow from where he is bent over his Algebra homework. “Sorry you’re getting punished too,” he mutters. 

“There are worse things,” Gabriel chuckles as he drags out his laptop and starts working on lesson plans. “I could be headed home to listen to my younger brother fruitlessly try and talk your older brother into staying in school for the rest of the year.”

“Cas wants Dean to finish school?” Sam asks because the idea just never even occurred to him.

“Yes,” Gabriel sighs dramatically. “My idiot brother seems to think that he and Dean can ride off into the college educated sunset together. But lets face it Sammy-boy Dean isn’t going to finish school this year or any other.”

“You got that right,” Sam huffs in disgust. There’s a long period of silence where Sam works on the same problem three times over and Gabriel keeps hissing between his teeth and shaking his head. 

“He thinks he’s stupid,” Sam blurts, and Gabriel raises an eyebrow from behind the teacher’s desk. “Dean,” Sam clarifies. “He has this idea that he’s not smart so he never really tries. My brother can do things with a car that I’ve never seen before. Once he put the muffler back on my dad’s car with a coat hanger and some bubble gum. He’s like freakin MacGyver. But school’s always been really hard for him. He’s not going to stay.”

“So you’re saying Cas should just give up hope?” Gabriel asks with his head cocked. 

Sam sighs. He ponders the idea of his brother doing more with his life than working the midnight shift at a gas station until someone robs the place and shoots him. “Maybe we all just need to switch tactics.”

“I’m glad you think the way you do Sam,” Gabriel comments with a grin. “I’ve been looking for a way to sneak this into a conversation somewhere, but Dean’s a little, um, self protective when it comes to me. So maybe you would have better luck.”

He tosses a rubber banded packet of papers over to where Sam is sitting and goes back to looking at his computer while Sam digs through the information. 

“Dean’s never going to go for this,” Sam says sadly even as he feels the sting of excitement rushing through him at the idea. His brother, going to college, dad would just die. 

“I think you can handle Dean,” Gabriel murmurs while he acts like he’s looking at something else. “After all, you’ve had a life time of practice right?”

Sam folds the brochures over in his hands again and again while he thinks it all through and eventually he smiles and says, “Alright, I’ll give it a shot. But you and Cas are going to have to help me.”


	16. Embarrassing Situation

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 16

He loves the way Cas tastes. 

There’s something about the flavor of him when Dean’s finally gotten his shirt off and his pants down; when Dean’s on his knees on the floor of the Novak living room with Cas’ legs flopped open and his dick hard. Something about Cas’ unique flavor that can make Dean’s dick start leaking in an instant. 

They still haven’t gotten all the way with each other. It’s not like they’re waiting for a big romantic evening or anything, but Gabriel doesn’t allow them in Cas’ room together with the door shut or at all when he’s not at home, and Dean’s house always has Sam in it. They never really have anywhere comfortable to just take it slow and let it happen. 

Dean refuses to fuck his boyfriend for the first time in the back of a car. Cas is willing; God only knows how willing Cas is at this point but Dean wants better for them, better than a quick grouping of stolen moments before someone comes back or the car fogs up. He’s starting to think he loves Cas; that he wants to keep Cas. So he wants it to mean something. 

But just because they aren’t fucking doesn’t mean they can’t fuck around. Dean’s never been so grateful that his brother earned like a month of detention. It keeps Gabriel at school late so he and Cas can have some fun while he’s gone. Which is how Dean ended up working the buttons of his boyfriend’s shirt open and undoing his pants and underwear before Dean slipped to his knees and slid Cas’ dick into his mouth. 

The thing about Cas that Dean’s learned is that the guy is quiet most of the time. He doesn’t really say much and his people skills are really rusty. Unless you’re sucking his dick; then Cas has a voice so deep it puts Barry White to shame and he keeps a running dialog that once got so hot Dean came in his pants. 

“Fuck Dean!” Cas growls, “You look so good like that with your lips all stretched around my dick. I love watching you suck me. You’re so fucking hot like this I love it. Love your tongue and OH FUCK you hit me just right babe. I want to fuck your mouth; you make it so hard to keep still. I just want to bury my hands in your hair and push my dick into your mouth over and over until I come for you. I bet you’ll swallow all of it won’t you? You want to taste me Dean? I want to give it to you.”

Dean’s groaning while Cas grabs at his hair and his hips start jerking. Dean keeps his hands near Cas on the couch incase it gets to be too much; he can tell his boyfriend’s getting close. 

“Hey Cas are you home…WHAT THE FUCK?!” Gabriel’s voice kills the mood faster than a bucket of cold water. Dean finds himself shoved onto his butt where his head slams into the coffee table as Cas leaps up and grabs his clothes before sprinting to his room. 

Dean’s left sprawled on the floor looking up at Cas’ red faced older brother. He swallows because every cell in his body is yelling ‘PARENT PARENT’ even though he knows Gabriel’s only ten years older than they are. “What?” Dean finally manages to mumble; horrified by how gruff his voice sounds. “You told us to keep it in the living room.”


	17. Geeks/Nerds

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 17

“What are they doing?” Cas asks while he leans against the doorframe of Dean’s house. 

Dean shifts around so he gets a better look inside at Sam and his pile of friends all with their laptops out. “Oh,” he chuckles. “That’s WOW.”

“Wow?” Cas asks with a raised eyebrow. “As in like YAY?”

Dean snorts some of his soda up his nose in response and sputters, “No, like World of Warcraft. It’s a video game and Sam gets together on Fridays with his little buddies for a geek fest that lasts until early morning hours. It’s their bonding time.”

“What’s the purpose?” Cas seems slightly interested and Dean bites his lip before sighing and muttering, “Come on.”

There’s some adjustments as he forces the younger boys to move over to make room for him. Sam shoots him a look as Dean drags out his old laptop and boots it up. 

“Are you coming out of retirement?” Sam asks with a grin.

“Not on your life,” Dean snorts but he knows his account is still active. “Okay so the first thing you do is log in and then you make a character.”

“You have options?” Cas asks as he leans over into Dean’s space to get a better look at the screen. 

“Yeah,” Dean points. “See? I’m a paladin. They have different specs but mine’s a tank. I can do some healing but my main job is to draw the fire from the rest of the group and keep the bad guys on me.”

“What’s Sam?” Cas asks as he spies Sam’s toon running around the screen.

“Sam’s a warlock,” Dean tosses out as he waits for the screen to load. “He’s specialized in demonology which means he gets to have pets.”

There’s a long discussion about the different classes and Cas eventually settles stating emphatically, “I’ll be a priest.” 

“Man I would have bet that,” Sam chuckles only to take an elbow in the ribs. 

Dean’s actually a little surprised when Sam’s friends all join them in making lowbies so they can help Cas get going. Dean’s forced to watch since they don’t have another account for his boyfriend to play on, but they’re doing pretty good until Andy’s system crashes and he loses it trying to get back on line.

“He’s very agitated,” Cas comments while Andy threatens to toss his laptop out the window. 

“Nerd rage,” Sam mutters back and Dean has to smother a laugh. 

They finally manage to get together and Dean eventually just leans back against Cas’ side while he slaughters pigs and spiders and wolves on his way to leveling up. 

Cas is enraptured and Dean thinks he knows what to get him for his birthday. 

When everyone finally logs off for the night Cas snuggles down next him and whispers, “I’m sorry that took up so much of our evening.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Very much.”

“Then it was worth it,” Dean murmurs as he pulls Cas down for a slow kiss and twines their fingers together.


	18. Group Date

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 18

“Tell me again why we’re meeting your brother at the restaurant tonight?” Dean asks as he parks the car, and they get out, walking toward the pizza place. 

“He says it would be good for us to see him in a less parental role, and he doesn’t trust us alone in the house ever again after that thing in the living room last month,” Cas sighs. 

Dean feels himself blushing about that particular afternoon. It was pretty traumatic and he was still fully clothed when Gabriel had walked in. 

“So what?” Dean asks, “We’re double dating now?”

“Something like that,” Cas comments. “Though I’m not certain you will approve of my brother’s date for the evening.”

“Why is she a skank?” Dean asks as they wind their way through the tables to the booth in the back. 

“No you idiot,” Gabriel huffs when they slide into the table. “He’s your brother.”

“Sam?” Dean blurts as he turns and sees his younger sibling across the booth from him sitting next to Gabriel. 

He turns to Gabriel in confusion but digs deep and falls back on his defense mechanism of sarcasm to see him through, “I’m pretty sure Sam’s young enough for your relationship to still be illegal in this state.”

“Shut up Dean.” Sam snarls.

“What are we doing here?” Dean asks as he turns in enough time to realize that Cas made him slide into the booth first and has now pinned him in. He can’t get out without Cas getting up first or Dean shoving him out onto the floor in front of the whole restaurant. 

“We need to talk to you before your birthday and this seemed like a good time,” Cas answers with his eyes focused on the checkered table cloth. 

“You’re making a mistake quitting school Dean and we want you to reconsider,” Sam adds and the hopeful tone in his voice makes Dean wince. 

“Sammy,” Dean mutters, “I don’t exactly have a lot of choice now. My grades are too far gone and we need the extra money.”

“You deserve a better life than that Dean,” Sam argues. “You’re worth more than working the midnight shift at a gas station.”

“No Sammy that’s you.” Dean chuckles, “You’re the one that’s worth more than that. Not me. I’m not smart like you. I’m good with cars and that’s it.”

“Then get a GED,” Cas blurts. “Get a GED and go to community college with me in the fall.” 

“And study WHAT?” Dean erupts. “What the hell am I going to major in Cas? Auto Shop?”

“Yes actually,” Gabriel answers, sliding a brochure across the counter with a thinly pressed mouth. “They have courses on becoming a certified mechanic. If you stuck through it and got the degree, you would have a trade skill certification that would get you a lot more money than what your plan does.”

Dean’s silent for a long time while they all pick at their food. “I’d need help;” Dean mutters into his soda. “I’m not even saying I’m going to do it, but if I did there’s no way I’d pass the GED tests on my own.”

“I think that’s how I ended up as part of this double date.” Gabriel chuckles. “Our brothers seem to think I might make a good tutor for you.” 

They leave it with that, and Dean lets Cas go home with Gabriel without kissing him goodbye, his feelings too raw to want to be close to anyone right now. 

Less than three weeks later Dean’s turned eighteen and become a high school drop out. 

A week after that he starts meeting Gabriel for private tutoring sessions every Thursday after school.


	19. Student/Teacher Detention

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 19

“This is hell isn’t it?” Dean groans into the stack of papers he has piled in front of him on the desk. 

“I think the correct definition of the word would be purgatory,” Gabriel answers with a shrug. “Though, you’re right if your meaning is that this is a particularly painful process for the both of us.”

“I told you I was too stupid for this.”

Dean jerks backward as a yard stick slams down on the desk nest to his left arm. “Gabriel, you’re not allowed to hit me with that thing. Corporal punishment’s been outlawed for years.”

“I hate to tell you this but you aren’t a student anymore and you’re legally an adult now so technically I can hit you with anything I want. Especially since my brother’s still underage.” Gabriel smiles as he waves the yard stick in the air. 

“When are you going to stop bringing that up?” Dean growls. 

“When he turns eighteen.”

“Kiss my ass,” Dean mutters. 

“Pass this fucking exam and I might. I’d be thrilled to be able to stop staying after like I’m in detention with you, and Cas will be so happy he might actually crack a smile sometime this century.” Gabriel wanders back to his desk. “I swear to God Dean if you fail this thing and we have to go through another three months of this I will kill us both.”

“Stupid,” Dean mumbles under his breath. “Warned you.”

He hears Gabriel’s chair drag over the floor as the older man gets up. Dean raises his eyes in enough time to see Gabriel raise the yard stick and slap it down on top of Dean’s hand. 

“JESUS CHRIST!!”

*****

“Well?” Cas asks him as soon as Dean pulls up in the driveway. 

Dean grins as he watches his boyfriend almost leap off the porch and run toward the car. Cas is excited, really excited and that doesn’t happen all that often. 

“Well what?” Dean responds with a raised eyebrow as he leans back against his car and shoves his hands in his pockets.

“Quit fucking with me Dean,” Cas warns but the warm open kiss he leans in for totally ruins the effect of his words. 

“That’s not what you said yesterday,” Dean teases only to grunt at the impact of Cas’ foot on top of his shoe. 

“DID YOU PASS?” Cas demands as he shakes Dean by his jacket. 

“Pass what?” 

Cas sighs and turns, stalking back to the house without another word. Dean waits for his boyfriend to get as far as the first step up to the porch before he shouts, “Of course I passed. What do you think I am stupid?”

He ignores Cas’ squeal of happiness while he runs back toward Dean. Cas is surprisingly strong for how thin he is, and Dean laughs his ass off while his boyfriend spins him in wide circles in the front yard. 

Hours later when he gets home from his shift at work Sam gives Dean the same treatment. Dean goes to bed a little dizzy that night, but he’s not sure if it’s from the spinning or the low thrum of pride he’s carrying around in his chest.


	20. Cutting Class

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 20

“You’re supposed to be in class.” Dean mumbles as Cas slides into bed next to him. He’s trying to sound irritated but honestly the warmth of his boyfriend’s body pressed up against his is more than enough to have Dean just give in and enjoy the company. 

Cas is a good student. He had goals and plans for his life that totally do not involve getting in trouble for skipping school. Not to mention it’s hard as hell to skip out of going when your legal guardian is one of the teachers. 

“Gabriel gave me the day off.” Cas rumbles as he presses a line of tender kisses along the back of Dean’s shoulders. 

“Why?” Dean’s curious enough to roll over onto his back and look up at Cas questioningly. “Are you sick or something?”

“No,” Cas chuckles. “I just haven’t missed a day all year, and I asked him if I could skip out today so I can spend it with you. I’m on the honor roll and there’re no tests today, so he said he would get my assignments for me and I could come here. He even dropped me off.”

“Oh.” It takes Dean’s sleep muddled brain a minute to process the information. “So what do you want to do today?” 

He’s tired; he worked a double yesterday and that means Dean only crawled into bed an hour ago after he got Sammy to school. But he figures that since Cas made a point to beg a day off for him where they actually get to be alone together, he should suck it up and deal with his exhaustion. They don’t get the chance to be alone all that often. 

“I want to go back to sleep,” Cas announces as he tucks his head under Dean’s chin and drapes an arm over his chest before slipping a knee between Dean’s legs. “After we get some more rest I want to wake up and have sex.”

Dean’s drooping eyes bust back open in an instant. “I’m not really that tired.”

Cas laughs right in his face. “Yes you are. You’re falling asleep while we’re talking. I’ll still be here when you wake up and I’ll still want to finally be with you. So let’s just close our eyes and rest for a while. I promise you’ll need the energy.”

Dean snorts before wrapping his arms around the other young man and shifting into a position that makes his bones melt into comfortable mush. 

They’re silent as he pets his fingers through Cas’ hair, and Cas traces the freckles on his bare shoulder. As Dean drifts off Cas whispers, “I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time.”

“’Bout what?” Dean manages.

“Sleeping with you;” Cas answers on a sigh. “I hate not being able to be with you all the time. I miss you so much at night when I’m trying to go to sleep. If I could wish for anything in the world I would wish to just be able to crawl into bed next to you every night for the rest of my life.”

“One day we’ll be able to do that Cas,” Dean yawns out. “I promise.”

The last thing he remembers is kissing Cas on the top of his head and the gentle squeeze his boyfriend gives him in return.


	21. Teenage Parent

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 21

Dean’s never been more relieved about his ability to plan ahead.

He’s eighteen; legally an adult. 

He’s got a full time job and a GED. 

He’s saved up enough hard earned money to get a very small two bedroom apartment. 

And he just got temporary custody of his younger brother. 

Still a teenager Dean is now a parent officially. Well legal guardian really but whatever; Sam’s now his responsibility in papers. It’s a pretty cool deal. 

He’s a little worried about the way he’s sort of playing Gabriel’s role in this whole scenario. Like Sam is playing Cas, and now Dean has to worry about finding Sam making out with some girl in his living room. 

It could be worse he guesses. His dad is giving him the silent treatment, but it’s not like Dean was the one to call social services. 

The school took care of that after Dean has forged too many releases and official stacks of paperwork. Sam had cut his hand in P.E. and they had called to have John come and pick him up for a trip to the doctor. Their dad had told the school he was out of town and to have Dean come. It would have worked too if Sam hadn’t told the principle his dad had just signed his release for the field trip this morning. 

So yeah; big trouble. 

It had taken a week to figure things out. A week where Sam had been staying at the home of a very kind history teacher by the name of Gabriel Novak, being that he was already taking care of his own younger sibling. 

By the time the dust had settled Dean and Sam were living on their own, and all of Sam’s stuff had finally been moved in. 

Dean had gone to their father and asked, then threatened, then begged for him to sign the papers to let Sam stay with him for good. 

So by April, as the winter finally gave way to spring, Dean Winchester added teenage parent to his list of titles along with boyfriend, high school drop out, and night shift manager at the local gas station. 

Really things weren’t all that different than they were before; except now instead of worrying all the time that child protective services was going to bust them, Dean calls his worker every Tuesday just to check in. 

Sam shrugs it off like it’s no big deal but he’s skipped the last two visitations with their dad. 

“I’m proud of you,” Cas murmurs while he cuddles up close to Dean to watch a movie on a rare Friday night when they’re both free. 

“Thanks Cas.” Dean blushes and squeezes him a little tighter. 

He’s saving the last title for later; after Cas graduates. Thanks to some help from Sam’s worker, Dean’s going to be able to add Part Time College Freshman to his list of titles over the summer. 

It doesn’t sound half bad.


	22. Party Games

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 22

“You want me to do what?” 

“It’s truth or dare Sam,” Andy sounds exasperated. “Just pick one.”

Sam surveys the room full of other teenagers and chokes back a groan. He does NOT remember signing up for this when he agreed to come to the stupid party. But Andy and Ash had sworn it would be a good time. Sam figured what the hell he had earned it with his midterm grades being so high. So he’d told Dean where he would be and promised to keep his cell phone on. 

And now this…

“Sam!” Andy barks, and it’s enough to make him wonder how long he’d been sitting there. 

“Dare.” Sam states wearily. Sometimes public embarrassment is better than truth, and he’s sober enough to remember having to admit something horrible to someone in front of all these people. 

“Great,” some girl Sam thinks is named Ruby giggles. “Put him in the closet. We’re going to play seven minutes in heaven.”

“Do what?” Sam sputters. 

There’s a general bit of laughter from some of the older kids in the group. But finally one of them says, “You get locked in a dark closet with someone else and you have to make out.”

“So who are you locking me in the closet with?” Sam asks while he feels his heart start to pound and sweat bead up on his neck.

“It’s a surprise.” Ruby smirks and the next thing Sam knows his jacket is pulled down over his head and he’s tossed in the closet with someone else who he can only hope volunteered. 

God this is so fucked up.

“Look,” he mutters once the door is shut and he yanks off his jacket. “We don’t have to do this. We can just talk or something.”

But then he’s yanked forward and a hot mouth is pressed against his. He does a quick body check and is relieved to find out it’s a girl. So at this point even if it’s Ruby it’s better than making out with Andy. 

Way better. 

Sam doesn’t exactly have a lot of experience but when she opens her mouth he knows an opportunity when he sees it. He slips his tongue inside the same time he sides one of his chilled hands up under the back of her shirt. She gasps but he feels the grin pressed into the side of his mouth before she settles back against him. 

There’s a leg sliding between his and his other hand tangles in long hair while he presses harder against her body. 

He doesn’t have any idea how long they’ve been in there when she reaches around to cup his ass before sliding a hand around to his front groping at his dick, now erect and aching, through his pants. 

The door slams open and light floods in. Sam finds himself with an arm full of wide eyed Jo Harvelle. 

Jo, his and Dean’s friend since they were little, Jo who calls him names and shoves him every chance she gets. Jo who’s a grade higher than him in school, and likes to trip him whenever she catches him coming around the corner. 

Jo who must have agreed to this because no one would ever force her anywhere she doesn’t want to be. 

“Jo?” he breathes shakily not even hearing the laughter and cheers from the crowd around them. 

“Guess the rumors are wrong,” she whispers. 

“What rumors?”

“The rumors that say you’re as gay as your brother,” she answers with a crooked grin and one last squeeze on his dick that makes him see stars before she stalks away.


	23. Sex Ed

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 23

“I think I’m going to puke.”

“Sam it’s not that bad.” Dean chuckles when he plops down on the sofa next to his brother. 

“Speak for yourself dude. I know the switch to day shift has been rough, but do not sit there half awake and tell me that studying for a sex ed test on sexually transmitted diseases while we’re trying to eat dinner doesn’t gross you out in the least,” Sam huffs. 

“No one said you had to study that shit now,” Dean comments. 

“Better now and be sick than to do it before I go to sleep and have nightmares,” Sam counters. 

Dean snorts into his soup and Sam grabs the last half of grilled cheese off the plate from in between them.

“How’s Jo?” Dean asks and Sam glares at him with his best look of annoyance. 

“Very funny asshole,” he grits out through clenched teeth. “Who told you?”

“Jo did.” Dean smirks before bumping his brother with his elbow. “I think she likes you.”

“Dude,” Sam exclaims. “It’s JO! We grew up together. It’s weird!”

“That’s not the impression your dick gave her,” Dean answers serenely while waving the spoon he’s using to eat his soup in Sam’s face. 

Sam does what any irritated younger brother would do. He licks the spoon with as much saliva as he can work up in his mouth and laughs when Dean jumps up and howls, “EWW! Jesus Sammy you are gross as fuck!”

He goes to the kitchen to get another utensil and Sam’s still chuckling into his own bowl when Cas comes in and sits beside him. Sam doesn’t pay the other young man any attention other than to nod while he drinks his soup until Cas leans over his text book and announces dryly, “Genital herpes; I always thought it looked like cauliflower.”

Sam’s still wiping tomato soup off the television an hour later while Dean and Cas snuggle up on the sofa and his brother drifts off into a nap snoring. 

“You guys both suck,” Sam mutters. 

Cas grins. “Yes we do, very well in fact.”

Sam rolls his eyes. 

“Cas, can I ask you something?” 

“Anything.” The immediate answer is enough to make Sam grateful for all eternity that his older brother at least has good taste in men.

“How did you know you were interested in Dean?”

Cas is silent for a while before he answers quietly so they can let Dean sleep. “I don’t know. It was complicated. At first I thought he was a jerk, but then we were sort of friends. One day I realized that when I woke up in the morning I was more excited about seeing him than I was about anything else. Why?”

Sam bites his lip before asking, “Did Dean tell you about the party?”

“You got locked in a closet with your friend Jo,” Cas says with a nod. Then his eyes widen and he says, “Oh!”

“Oh what?” Sam asks nervously. 

Cas grins before pushing the sex ed book back across the table to him with a bare foot. “You should take another long look at those pictures, buy yourself some condoms, and give her a call.”

Sam glares harshly before jerking the book off the table and stalking to his room. 

“Good one Cas,” Dean mumbles against his boyfriend’s neck.


	24. Wild Card - Applying for Colleges

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 24

“You need to get started Cas,” Gabriel sighs. “You can’t wait around forever. You know Dean has responsibilities here. He has Sam to think about.”

“I know.” The younger Novak’s growl would normally be enough to drive everyone away, but Gabriel is no high school student and his will is just as strong as his younger sibling’s. 

“Look, I get you had this idea that Dean was just going to pick up and follow you to some ivy league school once you picked one out. But it’s not going to happen Cas. Life isn’t like that for real. You have a chance to make something good out of yourself, and you aren’t going to waste it sitting around here working at Target. Now get your shit together and fill out the rest of those applications. You’re already so late you’re not going to get in until the spring semester anyway.” Gabriel is beyond pissed off at the flat façade his brother is giving him. “You can’t just give up because life doesn’t turn out the way you want it to.” 

Cas is up and slamming out of the house before he can say something he knows he will regret later. He hates his brother’s logic so much sometimes. Cas knows he wants to go to college and his grades are good enough to get him into any school he wants to attend. He had just planned on getting Dean to come with him in the fall when he packed up and left, and now with Dean being Sam’s guardian he knows it’s not going to happen. 

It’s selfish and petty and Cas allows himself a minute to wallow before he heads over to find his boyfriend and try to talk it out. 

Dean’s less than concerned about the whole thing. “Just go to school. You need to take care of yourself and it’s all you talked about until that stuff with my dad hit the fan. I’ll be here. I can come see you and you’ll be home on the holidays. We can make it work.”

Cas isn’t exactly prone to episodes of intense emotions. It’s something he prides himself on actually; but watching this person that Cas thinks maybe he loves more than anyone else in the whole world tell him to pack his stuff and move away, while he wipes grease off his fingers and shrugs like it’s no big deal is just too much. He explodes. 

“FUCK YOU! I love you. I don’t want to go away and leave you behind. You’re so stupid sometimes Dean! School isn’t more important to me than us! I just want to stay. Give me a fucking reason to stay with you!” Cas is flailing his arms and shouting so loud he knows the neighbors hear him. He doesn’t care. There’s color bursting across his cheeks as his eyes well up and his hands shake. 

Dean just blinks before he walks to the other side of the room and pulls a manila envelope out of his bag tossing it to Cas. “Open it,” is all he says in response.

Cas glares but he opens the thing anyway stopping lone enough to wipe his eyes before he reads the words on the page carefully twice. “You’re going to college?”

“Yeah,” Dean answers with a nod of his head. “I start during the summer. I was going to tell you as your graduation present. I thought you would be proud of me.”

“I am.” Cas creeps a step forward but he doesn’t reach out yet. 

“Cas, look.” Dean drags a hand down over his face, “if you want to go away to college then go and we will make this thing work. If you don’t want to leave then stay here with me and we’ll go to community college together. You can get your basic courses finished and I can get my mechanics certification, and we can both work and save up so that when Sammy goes off to school you can pick wherever you want to go and I’ll come with you, and I’ll get a job and you can go to school full time. It’s up to you.”

“What do you want?” Cas presses because he needs to hear it. 

“I want you to stay with me. My way’s going to take longer but we’ll eventually end up in the same place. I don’t want to lose you,” Dean whispers. 

Cas is in his personal space before Dean has a chance to take a breath. “Then I’m staying,” he whispers before he leans in and kisses Dean like he never wants to stop.


	25. Valedictorian

On the Cusp of Becoming Part 25

“Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming.” Sam’s voice rings out over the crowded stadium through the microphones just as Cas reaches over to take Dean’s hand where they sit in the bleachers. He reaches over and tangles his free hand with Jo’s who sits to his left beside her mother, while they all watch the younger Winchester graduate from high school at the head of his class. 

Sam continues with, “I know that I’m supposed to make some really funny speech about all the antics we got up to during school and how we really don’t hate all the teachers. It’s supposed to be silly and everyone is supposed to walk away chuckling. I’m sorry to say, this isn’t this kind of speech guys.” 

There’s a groan from the group of seniors and Sam laughs in response. “I’m going to take this opportunity to embarrass my brother. It’s going to be like the best prank in the history of the world because he can’t stop me. My brother Dean went to school with us too. We were freshmen when he was a senior. He never finished school. He never got the chance to because of me.” 

Dean shifts uncomfortably as a hush falls over the crowd. 

“You see my mom died when I was really young and my dad worked out of town all the time so Dean took care of me. He drove me to school every morning and checked my homework. He made me dinner and packed my lunch. He kept coming to school for over half of his senior year just to make sure nobody picked on me too much. Then he dropped out and started working full time so he could save up enough money to take care of me on his own. I owe a lot to my big brother. He sacrificed a lot so I could stand here today.”

If it weren’t for the squeezing pressure of Cas’ hand Dean thinks he might already be running away from this moment. He can hear the tremor in his brother’s voice that gives away the amount of emotion Sam is feeling. 

“I learned a lot during high school,” Sam comments. “Most of what I learned I learned from my brother. He taught me that nothing is more important than your family and that you get to decide who your family is made up of. He taught me that love chooses you sometimes when your not looking for it, and once it grabs a hold of you it’s up to you grip it tight as long as you can. He taught me that sacrifices are a required part of real life and even when you hate them they still make you grow. He taught me that when you want something really badly you have to keep pushing toward it even when you feel like the world is in your way. He also taught me that it doesn’t matter what everyone else thinks or says about you as long as think highly of yourself. My brother has always thought highly of me and the feeling’s mutual. He got his GED, worked a full time job, went to college and started his own business while I worked my way through high school. I’m a little afraid he’ll be running for president by the time I graduate college.”

There’s a rumble of laughter from the crowd. 

“I love you Dean. I know you’re proud of me. I’m proud of you too.” Sam finishes with a smile and shaking hands as he steps away from the podium to head back to his seat. 

Later, while Dean’s hands are still stinging from clapping so hard while his little brother walked the stage they’ll hug out in the parking lot; and the families milling around them on the way to their own cars will stop and clap for them both. Sam will laugh and Dean will hide his tears in his brother’s graduation gown.


End file.
